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by Draven Star
Summary: One of my first stories in a while. One of Vader's agents, Padmé, goes missing during a mission he gave her. He suspects that the Emperor had something to do with it.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any original characters and dialogue from the movies and books.

- I use regular times (like five o' clock or five-thirty) just because it's easier for me.

**Chapter One**

Padmé was in a room at the back of her ship, standing in front of Vader's holographic image. She had just returned to Imperial Center.

"I searched all of the motels in Mos Eisley and Mos Espa," she said. "I found one Obi-wan Kenobi, but he is a Zabrak. There aren't any humans here are using that name."

Vader hadn't expected her to find anything. He doubted that Obi-wan would use his real name to get a room in a motel, but he had still wanted her to go to Tattooine and look.

"Remain on Imperial Center. I will contact you soon," he said.

"Yes, Master."

Padmé left the ship and walked across the street to the small building she lived in. After Darth Vader first captured her, a few Stormtroopers brought her to her new apartment, where there was a new speeder and the ship. She didn't think that he was being nice - he was the second-in-command of the Empire, so the money for a ship and speeder was nothing for him. He probably owned the whole building, but she had never seen anyone else here, and there were never any other ships in the landing area.

She was lonely sometimes. All of her friends lived on Naboo or other planets, and she hadn't spoken to most of them since she started working for Vader. They would wonder why she was living so close to an Imperial base.

Her apartment took up all of the building's top floor. There were some pieces of furniture when she first came here. After selling her old speeder, she bought a few more things, but she still didn't feel comfortable. She never invited her family to visit, since Vader might have one of his other spies watching her at any time. It was likely that he already had information on her family members, but she wanted to keep them away from him.

She looked at the window in her bedroom. The sun was starting to set, and she was tired after travelling from Tattooine. She lay down on her bed and was asleep a few minutes later.

* * *

Vader was in his private rooms at the Imperial base. After talking to Padmé, he continued standing in front of the holograph transmitter. He was thinking of training her to use a lightsaber soon. She wasn't Force-sensitive, so the Emperor wouldn't be suspicious about him teaching her.

He met her almost a year ago, when she was brought to his Star Destroyer one day. She and one of her friends were arrested on Naboo because her friend, a human, had the same name as another human woman who was associated with Rebellion. Both of them were questioned by Imperial officers, but Vader decided to talk to Padmé himself.

He learned that she was eighteen, and had met her friend in sword-fighting and martial arts classes that they were both taking. When she told him that, he wanted to know more about the fighting skills she had. After the officers confirmed that she and her friend weren't involved with the Rebellion, her friend was released, but Vader kept her for another two days and told her that she was going to work for him.

He went over to his circle-shaped chamber and sat down inside it, then removed his helmet. Most of his scarred areas had healed since he fought Obi-wan six years ago, when he was nineteen, but he still wore his armor. Only a few people would recognize him without it.

There was a beeping sound from the holograph transmitter in the chamber. It was most likely the Emperor. Vader was planning to bring Padmé to him tomorrow.

* * *

The next afternoon, he waited for her in one of his rooms at the base. She was almost ten minutes late, which was strange.

Finally, there was a buzz from the door. He used the Force to mentally press a button on the panel on the wall, and the door slid open. Padmé walked into the room. She was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt over black pants, with her hair down. Vader sensed that she was nervous, probably because she thought he would be annoyed about her not being here on time.

She was usually in a sad mood when she was around him. He knew that she was not really loyal - she only worked for him because she didn't have a choice.

"I apologize, Master," she said, looking at his mask's eyes. She almost told him that her speeder wasn't running well, but he probably wouldn't care.

He didn't ask her why she was late. "You are coming to the Executor with me. The Emperor is there. I have told him about you before, and he wishes to see you."

Padmé was surprised - he thought she was important enough to mention to the Emperor. She couldn't imagine why. She had been working for him for less than a year, and usually located people or obtained information for him. Nothing she had done so far had been very impressive or exciting.

He mentally pressed one of the buttons beside the door again, and it slid open. She followed him to the landing area where his shuttle was.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Padmé had never been inside Vader's shuttle or ridden anywhere with him before. If he wanted her to meet him on the _Executor_, he told her. Her ship was always allowed there.

The room in the back of the shuttle was empty. There was a large seat built into the wall, which Vader sat down in. Padmé went over to a bench on one of the side walls.

She thought about the day she and her friend were arrested and taken to the _Executor_. Her parents knew about it, but didn't know that Vader interrogated her. He told her not to tell them. Later, when her friend wanted to know why she was kept there for another two days, Padmé said that she didn't know.

"Why are you bleeding?" Vader asked.

Padmé looked down at her arm, where she had gotten a small cut this morning. A couple of drops of blood must have stained her long-sleeved shirt after she put it on.

"I scraped my arm against my speeder. I was looking at it before I came here," she said.

"What happened to it?"

"It won't hover as far off the ground as it normally does," Padmé answered. "I don't know why."

"The repulsor may have a problem," Vader told her.

"Oh." She tried to think of something else to say, but decided to be quiet. She doubted that he was interested in having a conversation.

They arrived at the _Executor_ a few minutes later. Since most of the officers knew that she was one of Vader's agents, they wouldn't think it was unusual that he had brought her here in his shuttle.

She followed him over to a hallway entrance, feeling scared. Even though she was curious about why he had mentioned her to the Emperor, she hoped that this wouldn't take very long. She wanted to get away from both of them as soon as possible.

* * *

The Emperor was standing near his throne when they entered the room, looking at something on a small screen on the wall. It suddenly went off. Padmé guessed that he had mentally turned it off with the Force.

Vader bowed in front of him. Padmé did, too. She suddenly realized that she didn't really want to stay away from Vader as much as she did the Emperor. She had never enjoyed working for him, but now she wondered if she was one of his favorite or most trusted spies. If she was, maybe he wouldn't harm her family, as long as she didn't fail him.

"Welcome, Padmé," the Emperor told her.

"Thank you, Your Highness," she said.

"Lord Vader told me that he has had you search for some of the remaining Jedi before. You were looking for Obi-wan Kenobi on Tattooine."

"Yes, Your Highness. I didn't find him."

"It is not a concern. We have learned that Yoda may be staying on Naboo, and I want you to look for him. Lord Vader has mentioned that you are from that planet."

Vader was irritated when he heard that. He had wanted to send one of his other spies there, so he could start training Padmé to use a lightsaber.

"I am," she said to the Emperor.

He waited while his master gave her more details about the area that Yoda was possibly in. Then they left.

* * *

Once they left the room, he suddenly sensed that Padmé was annoyed, also. He didn't say anything until they were in his shuttle.

"I feel your anger," he said, looking at her.

"I apologize, Master. I don't mean to seem disrespectful. I am just not used to getting an assignment from the Emperor."

"There are several planets that Yoda may be on," he told her. "The Emperor learned a month ago that he was seen on Naboo. I do not believe it is necessary to search for him there now."

Padmé was surprised. Vader seemed to be on her side, although he could be lying.

"I will try to find him," she said quietly. She didn't like saying that, since she didn't really want to help him kill Yoda. If the Jedi wasn't on Naboo, perhaps the Emperor would decide not to deal with him right now, or he might have her search on another planet next.

When they reached the base on Imperial Center, Vader told her to contact him in a week, whether or not she had found Yoda. He watched her for a moment as she walked toward the parking area where she always left her speeder. Then he went inside one of the base's buildings.

* * *

Once Padmé was inside her apartment, she went to the computer in her bedroom. She had a new e-mail from one of her cousins, which said that she was going to have her wedding on Naboo.

Padmé sighed. She had gone on a few dates before she began working for Vader, and she hadn't met any men since then. Even when she wasn't busy, she didn't like the idea of lying to someone.

She turned her computer off, then went to her closet and got some clothes for the room on her ship. She was glad that she would be several miles away from her parents' house. If they saw her on Naboo, they would think it was strange that she hadn't told them she was coming.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

That night, the Emperor contacted Vader's comlink. Vader was in the garage of his two-level house, down the street from the building Padmé lived in. There were a few other houses on this block, but they had been empty for a while, since most people didn't want to live close to the Imperial base.

"You do not like the assignment I gave Padmé," the Emperor was saying.

"I was planning to send one of my other agents," Vader told him. "Padmé has spied on Jedi before, but has never gotten close to any of them. Yoda may be able to manipulate her if she speaks to him."

Actually, he was not very concerned about that. Padmé wouldn't try to escape from him - she knew that he might go after her parents if she did. He wanted someone else to look for Yoda so that he could start teaching her new fighting techniques.

"This will be a test for her, then, if she finds him."

"Yes," Vader said, although he would rather test her himself if he wanted to. The Emperor did not need to interfere.

He didn't want his master to try to talk about her anymore. He mentioned an abandoned Rebel base that one of his other spies had found.

* * *

Padmé landed her ship in a small field on Naboo, near the area that the Emperor said Yoda was in. It would take her an hour to ride to the nearest city in her speeder, but she was hungry, and there was nothing in the kitchen section of her ship. Vader had told her to contact him in a week, so she had enough time to go get something to eat. He didn't even seem to think that she would find Yoda here.

As she got into the speeder, she thought about the way he had seemed angry when they were leaving the _Executor_. Again, she wondered if he really disagreed with the Emperor giving her the assignment, or if he was tricking her. She didn't know why he would do that.

_Maybe I am just making a big deal out of this_, she thought. Vader might have mentioned one or two of his other agents to the Emperor before, not just her. That suddenly made her feel a little disappointed. She still didn't like working for him, but she had liked the idea of possibly being one of his favorite agents. It could be useful if she ever failed him and made him angry.

When she returned to her ship, the holograph transmitter in one of the back rooms was beeping. She hurried to the room and stepped onto the pad.

"Master."

"Return to Imperial Center the day after tomorrow," he said. "There is another matter I want you to deal with."

Padmé was relieved, even though she had less time to look for evidence that Yoda had been here. She wanted to get this over with.

"Yes, Master," she said, "but will the Emperor..."

"That is not your concern," Vader interrupted. "Contact me when you are near Imperial Center. I will meet you at your apartment building."

"Yes, Master," Padmé said again.

He closed the connection. From what he had said, it sounded as if _he_ was going to give her the next assignment, not the Emperor. She was almost happy, even though she would probably be busy for another week or two and wouldn't be able to visit her parents or sister.

She went to the bedroom and put few things into a small leather bag, then went outside.

* * *

It took her almost three hours to search most of the forest near the field she had landed in. She had found no evidence of anyone living there. There was a path for speeders, but no houses.

When she returned to the field, her ship was gone.

She looked around. She knew that she hadn't gotten lost. She stopped the speeder and tried to think of something to do.

Her holograph transmitter and her laptop computer were in the ship. She had no way to contact Vader. She had enough money with her to take a transport back to Imperial Center, but the city didn't have a transport station.

She knew that Theed, the capital city, was about two hours away. She could get on a transport there. Hopefully, she wouldn't see her parents and wouldn't have to come up with an excuse for why she hadn't told them that she was coming to Theed.

Vader wanted to meet her in two days. She had to leave now and try to get the next ship that was leaving for Imperial Center. He would probably be angry that she had left before searching for Yoda in some other places, but she didn't have a choice.

* * *

Sorry this chapter was a little short, the next one will be longer.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Padmé was less than halfway to Theed when her speeder stopped moving. It fell to the ground. She got out, remembering that Darth Vader said there could be something wrong with the repulsor.

She sighed and picked up her leather bag from the back seat, then opened the back compartment and got a couple of folded blankets. There was nothing else inside.

For a moment, she wondered if her master and the Emperor had something to do with this, but Vader had said yesterday that there was something else he wanted her to investigate. If it really wasn't necessary for her to look for Yoda right now, he would have told her to come back to Imperial Center right away.

The sky was almost dark. She decided to rest, since she would have to walk the rest of the way to Theed tomorrow. She took a small rolled-up tent out of her bag and set it up, then made a fire. Last night, she had read a weather forecast for this area of Naboo on her computer at home. It was going to be cold, but there wasn't any snow predicted for tonight.

She sat down in front of the fire and took a water bottle out of her bag, and one of her blasters. The person who had taken her ship had probably left Naboo or gone to another part of the planet, but she still wanted to keep the blaster near her.

After drinking some water, she went inside her tent and lay down, wondering what she would do if there weren't any transport ships that were leaving for Imperial Center tomorrow. She didn't want to stay with her parents and lie to them about why she was here.

* * *

When she opened her eyes the next morning, she glanced at the chrono on her wrist. She had slept late - it was almost noon. She doubted that she could reach Theed before dark. Even if there was a transport ship going to Imperial Center tonight, she wouldn't get there in time to meet with Vader tomorrow.

She quickly rolled up her tent and folded up the blankets. She was about to put them in her bag when a blaster bolt went past her.

She looked up. The bolt had come from a group of trees that were in the distance.

Before she could get her blaster out of her bag, another bolt came and hit her. She fell down.

* * *

When she woke up, she was in a meadow. There was a large lake in the distance that she recognized. She was in the Lake Country. A few months ago, she visited the town on the other side of this lake with her parents, sister, and her sister's husband. She went home after only two nights, in case Vader might contact her.

The person who had stunned her with the blaster had left her bag on the ground. She searched through it and saw that her blasters were gone.

Her money was still in the pocket inside her jacket. The town didn't have a transport station, but she could get a room in a hotel. She would probably be stuck here for a night or two.

* * *

The next day, Vader tried to connect with Padmé's holograph transmitter twice, and didn't get a response. When it was evening, he still had not heard from her. Since the building she lived in was down the street from his house, he would have heard her ship landing in the distance.

He decided to go to the building and see if her speeder was there, in case she had left her ship somewhere else for some reason. Even if she had done that, she still hadn't contacted him to let him know that she was near Imperial Center, as he had told her.

He went to the garage and got into one of his speeders. He wasn't wearing his armor, but if he found Padmé, he would tell her who he was.

When he arrived at the building, he entered the security code on the keypad beside the door. The first floor was a garage. Padmés speeder wasn't there. He took the elevator to the top floor. He owned the entire building, which was empty except for Padmé's apartment on the top floor.

Without buzzing the door, he entered the security code and went inside.

She wasn't in any of the rooms. He went to the holograph transmitter in one of her extra bedrooms and tried to contact the Emperor, even though he doubted that his master had spoken to her. There was no response.

He decided to go to Naboo. There wasn't another matter that he wanted Padmé to deal with, as he told her. He wanted to take her to the Imperial base on Ord Mantell with him. The Emperor was going to be at the base on Imperial Center, and he might want to meet with Padmé again if she was there. Vader wanted to keep her away from him.

_"This will be a test for her, then, if she finds Yoda."_

He returned to his house, where his ship was, and left for Naboo a few minutes later.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Padmé was walking through one of the town's streets. She had thought about going to the lake, but since the person who had stunned her had taken her blasters and she didn't have any other weapons, she decided to stay in the town.

Yesterday, she had used most of her money to get a hotel room, and stayed there for the whole day. The room had a computer, so she sent her master an e-mail. She had checked it several times, and he hadn't responded yet.

She wondered if he had sent one of his other agents to look for her. She was supposed to have met him at her apartment yesterday, and he most likely thought it was strange that she hadn't followed his orders. If the Emperor wanted to meet with her again, then he would ask Vader why she hadn't returned yet.

"Padmé?" a woman called.

It was her mother. She turned and saw her parents at a drink stand nearby. She hesitated, then walked over to them.

"You didn't tell us you were coming here," Jobal said.

Padmé hugged her. "One of my friends from Imperial Center wanted to see the Lake Country. She invited me. When are you going home?"

"Today," Ruwee said as he hugged her. "Will your friend mind if you come with us?"

"I can't. I don't want her to stay here by herself," she told him. She needed to get away from them. If Vader had sent someone to find her, and he learned that she was with her parents, he might think that she was trying to hide.

"I understand."

"Thank you," Padmé said, trying not to cry.

She hugged them both again and said that she would try to visit them next week, even though she doubted that she would be able to. She remembered Vader saying that there was another matter he wanted her to deal with.

* * *

Vader had landed his ship close to the area that Padmé was supposed to be in. He still did not think that Yoda had been here. If he was on Naboo, then he was too far away for Vader to sense his presence.

When he looked at the laptop computer in his ship, he saw the e-mail message that Padmé had sent him. Her ship had been stolen, and while she was trying to get to Theed, someone had stunned her with a blaster and taken her to the Lake Country.

At first, he thought she could be trying to trick him, but that was unlikely. Her parents and sister lived here. She wouldn't want him or one of his spies to be near them.

He had never been to the Lake Country, but he had a map of Naboo on his datapad. He found the town that Padmé was in, then moved his speeder out of the ship. If the person who had attacked her had been sent by the Emperor, they were probably watching her now and wouldn't be interested in stealing his ship.

Before he left, he tried to contact her on his comlink. She wouldn't recognize his voice, since he wasn't wearing his armor, but he wanted to see if she answered.

* * *

Padmé was laying on her bed, in the hotel room, when her comlink beeped. It had been in her bag this whole time, but she couldn't make a connection with her master unless he was within fifty or sixty miles of her. She wondered if he had come here to look for her himself.

She got the comlink out of her bag and turned it on, hoping that he would give her a chance to tell him what had happened. She had looked at her e-mail a few minutes ago. He still hadn't responded to the message she sent yesterday.

"Master," she said quietly.

"Where are you?" a man asked. It wasn't Vader's voice, and Padmé didn't hear his respirator.

She turned the comlink off without saying anything else, then lay down again. It wasn't late, but she was tired and worried.

* * *

She woke up a few hours later, when she heard the door slide open. A human man with blonde hair was there. She got up, wishing that she still had her blasters.

"What do you want?" she asked.

She started to walk over to him, so that she could try to go through the door, but he pointed at her. She choked for a second before he let her go. Vader had Force-strangled her once, when she first met him.

"I spoke to you earlier," he said. "You sent me a message and told me that your ship was stolen."

Padmé stared at him. He had read the e-mail she sent, and he seemed to be as tall and muscular as Vader.

"Master."

"We will return to Imperial Center," he said. "You are going to Ord Mantell with me next week. I do not want you near the Emperor."

"Do you think he had something to do with this?" she blurted out. She almost expected him to choke her again for making an accusation.

"Yes," he answered, surprising her. He seemed to be on her side again, the way he had after their meeting with the Emperor the other day.

She got her bag and followed him out of the room.

* * *

The next chapter will be longer, I wanted to update.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

When they were inside Vader's speeder, Padmé told him more about what had happened. He sensed that she was telling the truth about everything.

"I thought you and the Emperor might have done this as a test," she said.

"I have no need to test you," Vader told her. Now he sensed that she was less nervous. She seemed to believe him.

"Do we need to get my ship back?" she asked, looking at him. He didn't appear to be more than ten years older than her. She wondered if any of his other agents knew what he looked like without his armor, or if he only trusted her.

"I will have someone look for it," he answered. "I do not know why the Emperor would want to harm you. I cannot make you my apprentice."

Again, Padmé was surprised that he was on her side and was sharing his suspicions about the Emperor with her. He had told her about the Jedi and Sith before. She knew that she wasn't Force-sensitive.

They reached his ship less than half an hour later. When they went inside, there was a beeping sound coming from the holograph transmitter in one of the back rooms.

"Stay here," he said.

Padmé sat down on a bench that was built into one of the side walls, behind the cockpit area.

* * *

Vader pressed the button on the wall beside the door. It slid closed.

"Master," he said, standing in front of the holographic image.

"Have you heard from Padmé?" the Emperor asked.

"I have just found her on Naboo," Vader said. "Her ship was stolen and she was attacked."

"Who was it?"

"She does not know. Someone stunned her with a blaster and left her in the Lake Country. She used a computer in a hotel room to send me a message. I decided to bring her back to Imperial Center myself. I am sending one of my other agents to find her ship."

"Is that necessary? Thieves steal ships sometimes," the Emperor said. "What would you do if this had happened to one of your other agents?"

"What do you mean?" Vader asked, irritated.

"You seem to be protective of Padmé."

"She is one of my most trusted agents. She did not meet me when she was supposed to, which was unusual. I wanted to find her myself."

The Emperor was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Are you taking her back to Imperial Center?"

"For now. She will go to Ord Mantell with me."

"Contact me when you are at the base there. I want to talk to her."

"Yes, Master." Vader waited until the image faded, then left the room.

* * *

When he went to the front of the ship, Padmé was sitting on the bench. She took a bottle out of her bag and drank most of the water in it, then put it back.

He looked at her, thinking about what the Emperor had said. He admitted that he was somewhat protective of her. She was _his_ agent. He had been aggravated when the Emperor told her to search for Yoda, and he hoped that his master wasn't planning to give her another assignment when he talked to her in a few days.

He removed one of the two lightsabers on his belt. Padmé slid a few inches away, to the other end of the bench seat.

"This is a training lightsaber," he said, handing it to her.

"Why do you want me to have one?" She looked at it. "I can't use the Force."

"It will be a useful skill for you. There are still Jedi that I want you to look for."

"I..." Padmé started. She hesitated. "Do you really think any Jedi would try to attack me, Master?"

"Do not let them trick you," he said. "I know that you think I am evil, Padmé, but the Jedi will try to manipulate you."

She didn't say anything as she followed him to the cockpit area. He knew that she didn't agree with him.

* * *

When they reached Imperial Center, Vader landed the ship behind Padmé's building. He told her to meet him at the base in three days.

She went to her apartment and changed clothes, then lay down on the couch in her living room. She was exhausted.

Even though she had been a little excited about possibly being one of Vader's favorite spies, she had felt sad when he gave her the training saber. She didn't like the idea of fighting any of the remaining Jedi. However, she wasn't Force-sensitive. He would probably want to deal with the Jedi himself instead of sending her - although the idea of him killing them didn't make her feel any better.

Still, he seemed to be furious about the Emperor causing her trouble on Naboo. She hoped that one of his other agents would find her ship soon.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Three days later, Padmé woke up early. When she looked at her bedroom window, she saw that her master's ship was still behind her building. It had been there since they returned from Naboo, but she hadn't seen him anywhere.

She would have to walk to the Imperial base, since she didn't have her speeder anymore. She got dressed and put her training saber in a pocket inside her light brown coat. The person who had attacked her could be on Imperial Center and might be following her.

Suddenly, she heard the front door of the apartment open. She took the saber out of her coat and ignited the blade, then quietly left the room.

Darth Vader was in the living room. He wore a black robe, not his armor.

"Master," Padmé said, turning her saber off. "I thought you wanted me to meet you at the base."

"I want us to take my ship to Ord Mantell," he said. "You can contact the Emperor after we leave."

Padmé nodded. She no longer believed that he had been involved in her being attacked. She thought about how irritated he had seemed after her first meeting with the Emperor.

He looked at the table beside the couch. There was a picture of Jobal and Ruwee.

"Do your parents still live in Theed?" he asked.

"Yes," Padmé replied, wondering why he wanted to talk about them. "I saw them when I was on Naboo, in the town where you found me."

"Did you tell them what happened?"

"No. They don't know about you."

"Do your sister and her husband know?"

"No, Master."

"Do you think they would be angry?" Vader asked.

Padmé hesitated. "No. I didn't choose to...start working for you."

"You know that I can detect your feelings. You were excited when I gave you the lightsaber."

"I agree that it would be useful for me to learn to use one."

He stood beside her and rested his hand on her shoulder. "You do not want to admit that you like the idea of me training you."

She was quiet for a moment, then said, "I was glad to see you when you found me on Naboo."

He sensed that she was being honest. She still wasn't admitting that she wanted him to train her, but he didn't say anything. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

At first, she wondered if this was a trick, but then she remembered him telling her that he had no need to test her, while they were on Naboo. She moved closer and he kissed her mouth.

"One of my other agents is going to contact me in a week," he told her. "He will tell me if he has learned anything about the person who attacked you."

"I hope he does," she said as they went to the apartment's door.

* * *

After the ship left Imperial Center, Padmé went to the holograph transmitter in one of the back rooms and contacted the Emperor.

"Your Highness," she said, "my master and I are on our way to Ord Mantell."

"Lord Vader told me what happened. Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Let me know if someone finds your ship."

"I will."

"After you leave Ord Mantell, I want to see you and Lord Vader on his Star Destroyer."

"Yes, Your Highness. I will tell him." Padmé bowed as the Emperor's image faded.

She sighed and returned to the front of the ship.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

"The Emperor wants to see us after we leave Ord Mantell," Padmé said. She sat down in the seat beside Darth Vader's.

She looked at him, thinking about what he had said before they left her apartment. He was right - she did like the idea of him training her, even though she hadn't chosen to be his spy.

Since they had left Imperial Center, he hadn't said anything about kissing her earlier, or about her telling him that she had been glad to see him when he found her on Naboo.

"Where?" he asked.

"On your Star Destroyer," Padmé answered.

The Emperor probably realized that Vader suspected he had sent someone to attack her. She wondered what her master was going to do. She didn't think he would kill the Emperor just because of her, but she also hadn't thought that he would come to Naboo and look for her himself.

"Have you met any Jedi before?" he asked her suddenly.

He had asked her that when he first captured her. She guessed that he wanted to see if she had met any of the remaining Jedi since then.

"No," she replied. She hesitated. "My parents met Mace Windu and Ki-Adi-Mundi once, when they went to Coruscant - I mean, Imperial Center. I was staying with my cousin."

Vader looked at her. "You never told me that."

"I didn't think it would be interesting. My parents just met them once," she said.

He didn't seem to be angry.

"I was a Jedi," he said.

He told her about Anakin Skywalker. He had mentioned Anakin a couple of times when he talked to her about the Jedi and Sith, but had never told her that he used to be Anakin.

* * *

Mace was standing near a group of trees when the ship landed in the distance. A few minutes later, Vader got out of it. He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt and black pants, not his armor.

Vader looked at the other end of the field. He was probably sensing that Mace was on the planet and wasn't far away, but didn't know exactly where he was.

A human girl with brown hair came out of the ship. Vader said something to her and then ignited his lightsaber. The girl took a lightsaber out of her jacket and turned it on. It seemed as if Vader was training her.

Mace watched them fight. The girl did well. She blocked a lot of Vader's moves easily. Mace sensed that she didn't have any strength in the Force, but Vader must have wanted to train her to fight anyway.

While they were still practicing, he quietly walked back into the trees and went to his ship. He would tell Yoda and Obi-wan about this when he met them on Dagobah tomorrow.

* * *

Vader and Padmé stopped fighting when they heard a ship leaving.

Padmé looked at the sky. "Do you think someone saw us?"

"No." Vader turned off his lightsaber, then slid his arm around her. He decided not to tell her that he had felt Mace's presence. "Come on."

They went back inside the ship.

* * *

Sorry this chapter was a little short, I wanted to add something since I haven't updated in two weeks. The next one will be longer.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

When they arrived at the Imperial base, Padmé talked to the officers alone, while Vader stayed inside the ship. He had told them that he was sending his agent. After they gave her a report about the base and a search for a Rebel hideout they had done, she returned to the ship.

Vader moved the ship back to the place where they had been practicing earlier. He hadn't felt Mace's presence again.

Padmé followed him as he went outside, holding her training saber. The sun was starting to set.

He started to reach for the training saber that he used when they practiced. She quickly turned her saber on and blocked him when he struck at her. She had told him that during the past year, she had taken a few more martial arts and sword-fighting classes whenever she wasn't busy working for him.

"Good. You should always be prepared for your opponent to attack you," he said.

He turned his saber off without striking at her again.

"Mace Windu was here earlier," he told her. "I sensed his presence."

"Do you think he was in that ship we saw leaving earlier?"

Vader didn't answer her question. "You told me that your parents met him before. You saw them while you were lost on Naboo, and then Mace was on Ord Mantell when we arrived."

"Master, I didn't have anything to do with this," she said nervously. "My parents just met him once a few years ago."

He sensed that she was telling the truth, and realized that he felt sorry for accusing her. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

They left Ord Mantell a few minutes later. After the ship was in space, Padmé lay down on a bed in one of the back rooms. Vader went to the room where the holograph transmitter was and contacted the Emperor.

"Master," he said, "Mace Windu was on Ord Mantell. Padmé and I saw a ship leaving while we were fighting, and then I sensed that his presence was gone."

"You were fighting?" the Emperor asked.

"Yes. I gave her a training saber."

"You didn't tell me you were teaching her to use one."

"I am only teaching her to fight with a lightsaber. She cannot use the Force."

"You should train her, then. It would be good for her to learn. I know you would be upset if anything happened to her."

Vader knew that his master was trying to annoy him.

"She is very important to me," he said. The Emperor would be surprised to hear him admit that he cared about Padmé. "I cannot send her to look for Mace. If he saw us fighting, then he knows what she looks like."

"I will have one of my spies handle it."

"Yes, Master."

* * *

Padmé woke up when the ship landed on Imperial Center. She went outside and saw that it was behind the building she lived in.

Once they were inside her apartment, Vader said, "I told the Emperor about Mace. He is sending one of his spies to look for him, and we are not meeting my master on the Executor tomorrow."

Padmé was glad that they weren't going to see the Emperor, and that she didn't have to find Mace. She wondered if he remembered meeting her parents, or if they had known him for a while and hadn't told her.

She had mostly been quiet when Vader told her what had really happened to Anakin Skywalker. Now she felt even more guilty about trying to find some of the remaining Jedi before, even though she had only done it because he captured her and made her his spy.

She went into the kitchen and made a cup of hot tea, then sat down beside Vader on the couch in the living room.

"I will stay here tonight," he told her.

"Thank you," she said. It would be another few days before his spy who was looking for her ship contacted him. She still thought the person who had attacked her could be near here.

* * *

Mace, Yoda, and Obi-wan were in front of Yoda's house on Dagobah. Mace and Obi-wan both lived on Tattooine right now, although their houses were several miles from each other.

"She was a human," Mace said. "She wasn't Force-sensitive."

"Did you hear anything they said?" Obi-wan asked.

"No. They were too far away."

"Strange, this is," said Yoda.

"Yes, but there is nothing we can do," Obi-wan told them. "We don't have a way to find her, unless she and Vader are still on Ord Mantell."

"I will go back and see if they are still there," Mace said. "I want to find out who she is. If he is training her to use a lightsaber, he may be sending her to look for Jedi."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Two weeks later, Padmé went to her parents' house. Darth Vader was on his Star Destroyer, which was near Naboo, and since the Emperor was going to be there, he suggested that she stay with her parents.

She hadn't talked to Palpatine during the last two weeks. Vader had told her that his master knew about their relationship now, and that Palpatine hadn't asked him about her lately.

She stopped her new speeder in front of her parents' house. She also had a new ship, which she had left in a landing area in the city. If she needed to leave, she could quickly go back and take it to the _Executor_.

One of Vader's spies had found her old ship on Imperial Center last week. None of her things were inside, and the spy hadn't found the person who attacked her and stole it.

When she went inside the house, her father was in the living room.

"Padmé," Ruwee said.

"Hello." She hugged him. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you I was coming."

"It's fine. I'm glad to see you, but I have to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"Do you remember when your mother and I went to Coruscant a few years ago, and we met Mace Windu?"

"Yes," said Padmé. She was starting to feel nervous.

"We saw him here yesterday. He is going to be on Naboo for a few days, and we told him that he could stay with us."

Padmé was quiet. She wanted to leave, even though she and Vader weren't certain that Mace had seen them on Ord Mantell two weeks ago.

_I have to tell him about this_. She tried not to cry. If she didn't tell her master that Mace was here, and he found out later, he would be furious. Even though their relationship had changed, she didn't think that he was in love with her. He hadn't said that he loved her yet. He would probably have her parents arrested, even if it would make her unhappy.

She decided not to say anything to him yet. She wanted to try to think of something to do.

She hugged Ruwee again, then went upstairs.

* * *

Once she was alone in her room, she took her training lightsaber out of her jacket and put it in the bag she had brought with her. She didn't want Mace or her parents to discover that she had one.

Her comlink started beeping. She answered it.

"Master. I am at my parents' house."

"Good. Meet me at my Star Destroyer tomorrow," he said in his regular voice. He wasn't wearing his mask.

Padmé knew that she should probably tell him about Mace right now, but she didn't want to. If she could learn where he was going after he left Naboo, she would have some information to give him, and he might be less angry at her and her parents.

_Mace hasn't done anything to me_, she thought.

"I will," she replied.

* * *

Mace was in the living room when Padmé came downstairs.

"Hello. I'm Padmé."

"Your parents told me that you live on Imperial Center," Mace said. Jobal and Ruwee had said that she suddenly moved last year, and that they hadn't visited her there.

She reminded him of the brown-haired human girl he had seen with Darth Vader two weeks ago. He had been too far away to see the girl's face clearly. He still wanted to know who she was. When he went back to Ord Mantell after leaving Yoda's house, they weren't there.

"Yes, I do."

He sensed that she was upset. "I am certain that no one knows I am here. The Imperials won't find out."

"Thank you," she said.

Jobal came into the room. Padmé hugged her.

"It's nice to see you." Jobal kissed her forehead. "Are you alright?"

"Yes."

Mace sensed that she was lying, but he guessed that she was still nervous about her parents letting him stay here.

* * *

Padmé went back to her room a few minutes later, while her parents talked to Mace. She lay down on her bed and closed her eyes. When she woke up, she looked at the chrono on the wall and saw that she had been asleep for a couple of hours.

Her comlink beeped again. She picked it up.

"The Emperor has left," Vader told her.

She hesitated, then said, "Mace Windu is here. My parents saw him yesterday and invited him to stay with them for a few days. I didn't know about this."

Vader was quiet for a minute, then said, "See if you can find out where he is living, or where he is going after he leaves Naboo."

"Are you going to arrest my parents?"

"No. I do not want Mace to know that you are working for me."

Padmé was surprised. She still felt guilty about spying on Mace, but she doubted that she would learn anything about him. He probably wouldn't want to reveal very much about where he or the other remaining Jedi lived.

After she and Vader finished talking, she went downstairs.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Padmé listened to her parents and Mace while the four of them ate dinner. At first, they talked about the time Ruwee and Jobal met Mace and Ki-Adi-Mundi on Coruscant, before the Empire was formed.

"Your parents told me what happened to you, Padmé," Mace said suddenly.

"What?" she asked.

"We told him that you and your friend were taken to one of the Star Destroyers," Ruwee answered, "because she had the same name as a Rebel they were looking for."

"Yes." Padmé wished that her parents hadn't mentioned that.

She didn't know how she was going to tell them that she had been working for Vader, or that she was in a relationship with him, but she decided not to worry about that right now. She wanted to talk to him about it after they returned to Imperial Center.

"It's strange that they kept you on the Star Destroyer for two more days," said Jobal.

Mace looked at Padmé. "They did?"

"Yes. The officers wouldn't tell me why."

"Did Darth Vader question you?"

"No," she answered.

He stared at her for a moment. She knew that he sensed that she was lying. He didn't say anything about it.

"I'm going to my ship," she said. "I brought some things for my bedroom here."

"Do you want me to go with you? It's almost dark outside," Mace offered.

Padmé almost said no, but changed her mind. He seemed to be suspicious of her now, and she didn't want him to think that she was trying to avoid him.

"Alright. Thank you," she replied.

* * *

Padmé was quiet as they got into her speeder.

He thought it was strange that she had suddenly moved to Imperial Center after she and her friend were arrested, but he still did not have any evidence that she was the girl he had seen with Vader two weeks ago. There wasn't anything he could do. Ruwee and Jobal had invited him to stay at their house, and he didn't want to accuse their daughter of being associated with the Empire.

"You know that I lied," she said as the speeder started moving.

He was surprised. "Yes, I do."

"I didn't tell my parents that Vader talked to me when I was on the Star Destroyer. I don't want them to be scared. Please don't tell them."

"I won't."

* * *

A few minutes later, they arrived at the landing area where Padmé had left her ship. There were some people near a couple of the other ships, but none of them were close to hers, so Mace didn't worry about anyone possibly recognizing him.

He followed her inside after she lowered the boarding ramp.

Vader was standing in the cockpit area, not wearing his armor. Mace removed his lightsaber from under his robe and ignited it.

"You're here," Padmé said. "I thought I was meeting you tomorrow."

"I wanted to wait here for you," Vader told her.

Mace looked at her. "You are the girl I saw on Ord Mantell."

She didn't say anything. He sensed that she was worried. He turned his lightsaber off.

"Padmé, I am going to leave. I won't tell your parents about this, but I feel a lot of confusion in you."

Vader looked at him. "Do not try to trick her."

"You know that I am right."

"Please go," Padmé said, sounding as if she were trying not to cry.

* * *

Vader didn't move as Mace left the ship. There were still a few people outside, and he didn't want to start fighting with him in public.

A tear slid down Padmé's face. He leaned down and kissed her. He realized that Mace was right - she was confused, and Vader knew that she did not support the Empire. Mace probably thought that he was worried about that, and he admitted that he was.

He stayed in the ship while Padmé went back to her parents' house for the night. When she returned the next morning, they left Naboo.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

"We found Mace Windu on Naboo," Vader said. He was standing in front of the Emperor's holographic image. Padmé was behind the transmitter, where Palpatine couldn't see her.

"What happened?"

"He was at the landing area where Padmé left her ship. We talked to him after she came back from her parents' house. There were other people around and I did not want to make a scene, so I let him leave."

Padmé was relieved. Vader hadn't mentioned that Mace had been staying at her parents' house and that he had gone to the landing area with her.

"Find out what transport station he went to, and what ship he might have taken."

"Yes, Master," Vader replied.

After the image faded, they went to the front of the ship.

"I can't spy on Mace," Padmé said as she sat down in her seat in the cockpit. "He knows that I work for you."

"I will handle it." Vader looked at her. "I know you are feeling guilty because you thought he was nice to you, but do not trust him."

She was quiet. When she returned to her parents' house last night, she told them that Mace suddenly had to leave, and that he had taken a transport ship. They believed her. So far, he had kept his word and hadn't revealed to them that she worked for Vader.

She realized that her master seemed different since they had talked to Mace last night, even though he had just said that she shouldn't trust the Jedi. He hadn't told the Emperor everything that had happened on Naboo, so that her parents would be safe.

* * *

"He cares about her?" Obi-wan asked.

He and Mace were standing in front of his house on Tattooine. There were two houses next to his, but no one else was outside right now.

"I sensed it. He was angry when I told Padmé that I felt confusion in her."

"Why do you think she works for him if she doesn't like the Empire?"

"She told me that he questioned her after she and her friend were arrested by Imperials. He might have forced her to be his spy."

Obi-wan hesitated. "I want to talk to him. If he cares about her, he will have to deal with the fact that she does not want to be an Imperial."

Mace didn't think that was a good idea, but he agreed with Obi-wan. It was possible that Vader would be willing to speak to him.

The sky was almost dark now, so they went inside the house. Mace used the holograph transmitter to contact Padmé's parents and asked them if she had returned to Imperial Center.

* * *

Sorry this chapter was short, I wanted to post something since I haven't updated in a couple of weeks.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Two days later, Vader was on his Star Destroyer when he sensed that Padmé was in danger.

Her ship had arrived a few minutes ago, and she was supposed to be waiting for him in his private chambers. Since no one here knew about their relationship, the Imperial officers still thought that she was one of his spies.

When he went to the hallway that led to his chamber, he saw her lying on the floor, in front of the door. She appeared to have been stunned. Her lightsaber was beside her.

An officer walked into the hallway. Vader told him to get someone from the medical center.

* * *

Later that evening, Obi-wan and Mace felt Darth Vader's presence as they waited beside the door of Padmé's apartment.

Her parents had told Mace where the building was. He explained that he was going to Imperial Center and wanted to see if she was alright. They thought she could help him find a safe place to stay while he was there. He asked them not to tell her that he had contacted them, in case someone had seen her with him on Naboo and might be looking for her.

"Do you think he will try to fight us?" Obi-wan asked as they heard a ship landing outside.

"Not if Padmé is with him," said Mace.

A few minutes later, the elevator at the end of the hall opened. Vader was carrying Padmé. She was wearing a long-sleeved dark blue dress that stopped above her knees, and had taken one of her boots off. Her ankle was wrapped with a bandage and there were a couple of bruises on her leg.

"What happened?" Mace asked.

Padmé looked at him and Obi-wan. "How did you find my apartment?"

"Your parents told me."

"You said that you weren't going to tell them anything."

"I didn't. I only asked them where you live. What happened to you?"

"Someone attacked her," Vader said, carefully setting her down. She slid her arm around him so she could balance and not put a lot of pressure on her injured ankle.

Mace sensed that he was telling the truth, and was surprised that he wanted to talk to them about it.

Padmé said something to Vader in Huttese. He said something back and looked at the apartment door. He used the Force to enter the security code on the keypad, then picked her up again and carried her inside. Mace and Obi-wan followed. He didn't try to stop them, probably because they had already found the apartment. He took Padmé to the couch in the living room.

"Do you know who did this?" Obi-wan asked.

"A human man started shooting at me," Padmé answered. "I fell while I was moving and blocking the blaster bolts with my lightsaber."

"I will find out what happened when the Emperor returns from Kamino tomorrow," Vader told her.

Mace looked at her. "You think that he sent someone to attack you?"

"Yes," she said, without explaining why. She sighed. "I want to get some rest. I don't think you will leave if I tell you to, so you can stay in my two extra bedrooms if you want."

Vader didn't object to her inviting them to stay. He probably agreed that they weren't going to leave. Mace didn't want to spend the night here, but he was curious about what Vader was going to do if he discovered that the Emperor was involved with Padmé being attacked. He seemed to care more about that than dealing with the two Jedi.

He picked Padmé up and carried her to her bedroom. Mace and Obi-wan went to the two rooms across the hallway.

* * *

The next morning, when Obi-wan left his room, he went to the living room and saw that the door to the balcony was open. Vader was standing outside, holding a portable holograph transmitter that was showing an image of the Emperor.

Obi-wan quietly walked closer, but didn't have a chance to hear much of what they were talking about.

"Yes, Master," Vader said. He turned the transmitter off. When he looked at the door, he saw Obi-wan.

"Is he here?" Obi-wan asked.

"He is on a Star Destroyer. He doesn't know that you are on Imperial Center," Vader said.

Obi-wan sensed that he was being honest. "I wanted to tell you that Ashlee got married last week."

Ashlee was a Twi'lek woman, and one of the other Jedi who was still alive. She was living on Dantooine.

"Why are you telling me that?" Vader asked. He came inside and closed the door to the balcony.

"I want you to know that Master Yoda and Master Windu allowed her to get married. If you...came back...they wouldn't disapprove if you wanted to marry Padmé."

Before Vader could respond, Padmé and Mace came into the living room. Padmé carefully walked over to one of the armchairs and sat down.

"Stay here," Vader said. "I am going to one of the Star Destroyers."

"Why?" she asked, sounding worried. She probably thought it was strange that he wanted her to stay with the Jedi while she was injured. If they tried to take her and leave Imperial Center, she wouldn't be able to fight well.

"Vader, if you're going to talk to the Emperor, please let me go with you," Obi-wan said.

He was quiet for a moment. "I want Mace to stay here. The man who attacked Padmé might be following her."

"I will," Mace said.

Vader and Obi-wan left.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Are my parents alright?" Padmé asked.

She and Mace were in the living room. She was wearing black pants with her lightsaber attached to a belt. If he suddenly tried to capture her and take her away from Imperial Center, she could try to fight, although her ankle still hurt.

"Yes. I promise, I did not tell them what happened before I left Naboo," he said.

"Thank you." Padmé felt sad as she thought about her parents.

They heard a buzz coming from the door. Mace stood and quietly went to the front of the apartment.

Padmé waited. She heard Mace open the door, then her parents greeting him. She sighed, wondering why they had come to Imperial Center without contacting her first. When Vader and Obi-wan returned, she would have to explain why the Jedi were here.

_I have to tell them anyway_, she thought, _and I have to tell them about Vader_.

She carefully stood up as her parents and Mace came into the living room.

Ruwee looked at the bandage on her ankle. "What happened?"

"I fell while I was exercising," Padmé lied.

She glanced at Mace. He didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry that we came over suddenly," Jobal said. "Mace told us that we shouldn't contact you, in case someone knows that he was staying with us."

"I can't stay long. This building is close to the Imperial base here," Mace told them.

Padmé wished that he hadn't mentioned that subject. She didn't want her parents to try to question her again about why she was living here.

"I'm glad that you are here," she said as Ruwee hugged her. "I'm going to go lay down for a little while. My ankle is hurting again."

She knew that if she left Mace alone with her parents, it would be a good chance for him to reveal what he had learned about her, but she suddenly didn't care. She was tired of lying to them, and she was worried about Vader. She hoped that he and Obi-wan would come back from the _Executor_ soon.

* * *

Vader and Obi-wan left in Vader's ship. He explained that whenever he went to one of the Star Destroyers without his armor, the officers believed that he was one of Vader's agents. They would probably think that he was taking Obi-wan to the Emperor.

Obi-wan waited until the ship left Imperial Center, then tried talking to him.

"Why does Padmé think that the man who attacked her was sent by Palpatine?"

"She was attacked recently while she was on a mission for me. A man stole her ship, then stunned her with a blaster later and left her outside of a town, so that she would be lost."

"Why would your master have someone do that?"

"I do not know," Vader answered. "There is no reason for him to be threatened by her. I cannot kill him and make her my apprentice because she isn't Force-sensitive."

"Does she like being trained to fight?"

"Yes."

Obi-wan sensed that he was being honest, but he remembered what Mace had told him about what happened on Naboo, in Padmé's ship. He had sensed a lot of confusion in her. He and Obi-wan were certain that she did not want to serve the Emperor, but Obi-wan decided not to try to talk about that right now.

"Anakin..." he started, then stopped.

Vader reached toward the dashboard and pressed a couple of buttons. He didn't say anything about Obi-wan calling him that.

"Ashlee is meeting Mace and I, at my house on Tattooine, in three days," Obi-wan continued. "You and Padmé can come with us."

"We will."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

When Vader and Obi-wan reached the _Executor_, they went to a hallway that led to the Emperor's throne room. They walked past a few officers and Stormtroopers, but no one said anything to them. They didn't seem to recognize Vader without his armor and probably believed that he was one of Vader's spies, as he told Obi-wan earlier.

Obi-wan trusted him. He wouldn't have wanted to leave Mace to guard Padmé's apartment if he was planning to betray the two Jedi later. If Mace sensed that anything happened to Obi-wan, he would take her and leave Imperial Center.

Before they entered the throne room, Vader's portable holograph transmitter beeped. No one else was in the hallway now, so he removed it from his belt and turned it on.

The Emperor's image appeared. Obi-wan moved a few feet away so that he wouldn't be seen.

"Lord Vader. I went to the base on Geonosis. I will meet you there next week."

"Yes, Master," Vader replied.

After the Emperor's image faded, Obi-wan asked, "Do you think he knows that Mace and I are staying with you?"

"A spy may have told him," Vader answered. "We will have to go to Geonosis and see if he is really there."

They decided to return to Imperial Center for now and tell Mace and Padmé.

* * *

Padmé managed to fall asleep again for a couple of hours. When she went into the living room, she saw that her parents were gone. Mace was outside on the balcony.

"Your parents had to go back to Naboo," he told her. "Sola is having the baby."

Padmé sighed. She had forgotten that her sister's baby was due soon.

"Did you tell them anything about me?" she asked.

"No."

She was a little disappointed. She had almost hoped that Mace would tell her parents about Vader, but she knew that she shouldn't try to avoid doing it.

They heard the door of the apartment opening. Mace ignited his lightsaber and went inside first, to make sure that the person who had attacked Padmé yesterday wasn't here.

When they saw that it was Vader and Obi-wan, he turned the lightsaber off.

"What happened?" Padmé asked as she sat down on the couch. Her ankle was still a little sore.

"The Emperor contacted Anakin while we there and told him that he is on Geonosis," Obi-wan answered.

Padmé stared at her master after Obi-wan called him "Anakin".

"What are we going to do?" Mace asked.

"We will go there tomorrow," said Anakin. "He isn't expecting me to meet him there until next week, so we may be able to surprise him."

* * *

Sorry for another short chapter. The next one will be longer; I just wanted to update.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Later, the four of them went to the garage area on the first floor of the building, so Padmé could train with Mace and then Obi-wan. Her ankle felt better, and she wanted to be prepared in case the Emperor was on Geonosis.

So far, Padmé hadn't talked to her master about his return to the Jedi, but she knew he sensed that she was happy.

After they ate dinner and discussed their plans for dealing with the Emperor, she went out to the balcony and used her portable holograph transmitter to contact her parents. Ruwee told her that Sola's baby was a girl.

"Is Mace still there?" he asked.

"Yes," Padmé answered, worrying. If the Emperor had learned that the Jedi were on Imperial Center, it was likely that he knew about her parents being here earlier.

"Let him know that he can stay with us again if needs to."

"I will." Padmé hesitated, then added, "Obi-wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are here, too."

"Good. They can protect you if something happens," Ruwee told her. He didn't seem to know anything about Anakin joining the Emperor in the past.

"I'm sure no one found out that Mace was staying with you and Mom," said Padmé.

She told him that she would contact Sola tomorrow, then turned the holograph transmitter off. A moment later, Anakin came outside. She slid her arms around him. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"I love you," he said. "I am sorry for what Vader did to you during the past year."

She thought about one time, after she had been working for Vader for almost six months, when she lost track of someone that he thought was spying for the Jedi. She hadn't been able to put a tracking device on the man's ship before he left Imperial Center. When she told Vader, he held his lightsaber's blade close to her shoulder and told her not to fail him again.

A few days after that, she met him again in his chambers on the _Executor_. He seemed to be in a better mood and didn't mention her making him angry the other day. After he gave her a new assignment, he watched her as she left. For a moment she had wondered if he liked her more than his other agents, but she doubted it. She hadn't been working for him for very long.

"I love you, too," she replied.

* * *

The next morning, when she left her room, she didn't hear anyone in the rest of the apartment. The doors to Mace and Obi-wan's rooms were open. Neither of them were around. Anakin had been staying in the living room at night in case the man who had attacked her came here. She wondered why he hadn't woken her up, and why the Jedi would leave her here alone.

She got her training lightsaber, then went to the front of the apartment. The door was open. She stepped into the hallway and saw a Twi'lek woman with blue skin.

Before the woman could say anything, Padmé slashed at her with the training saber. The woman quickly moved to the other side of the hallway, then held her hand out. The saber left Padmé's hand and went to hers.

"I'm Ashlee," she said. She turned the saber off and gave it back.

Padmé recognized her now. She was around her age and was one of the other Jedi that was still alive. Vader had sent Padmé to see if she was on Naboo once, a few months ago, but she hadn't found her there.

"No one told me that you were coming here," said Padmé.

"I didn't tell anyone. I just arrived this morning - Obi-wan had told me where your apartment was. We all sensed the Emperor's presence not long after I got here."

"He is here?"

"Yes. Anakin thinks he is at his mansion," Ashlee replied. "They asked me to stay here with you."

"I want to go there." Padmé had never been inside the Emperor's mansion before, but she knew where it was. It would take about an hour to get there in her speeder.

"We shouldn't. You're injured."

"My ankle is better."

"Alright." Ashlee didn't try to argue. She seemed to understand that Padmé was worried. "I brought my new speeder - my husband gave it to me."

Anakin had mentioned yesterday that Ashlee and her husband lived on Dantooine. Mace and Yoda must have approved of her getting married.

"Thank you," Padmé said.

She went inside to get her extra training saber and a blaster. Then they left.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Ashlee told Padmé that Anakin, Mace, and Obi-wan had left almost half an hour ago. They were going to reach the Emperor's mansion first, but Padmé didn't care. She still wanted to try to join them in case they needed help.

"Vader sent me to look for you once," she said. Even though she hadn't ever wanted to work for Vader, she still wanted to tell Ashlee about it.

"Where?"

"Naboo."

"I only stayed there for a week. Did you see me?"

"No," Padmé answered. She hesitated. "I didn't like helping Vader find anyone, but I didn't have a choice."

"I understand," Ashlee said quietly.

They talked for the rest of the way to the mansion. Padmé was glad that she had met her. She hadn't made any new friends in the past year. She hardly ever talked to the ones she had known on Naboo before Vader captured her, because she had wanted to keep them safe from him.

* * *

When they arrived, they went to a back entrance of the building. They didn't see Anakin's speeder anywhere, and there were no guards around. Padmé wondered if he, Mace, and Obi-wan had dealt with them earlier.

Ashlee cut a hole in the door with her lightsaber. When she and Padmé entered, they were a few feet away from the other Jedi.

"What are you doing here?" Anakin asked.

"We wanted to stay with you," Ashlee told him, turning her lightsaber off.

"The Emperor isn't here," Obi-wan said. "We are going to the Imperial base. We have to leave before someone lets him know that Anakin was here with Mace and I."

"Ashlee and I will have to go with you. We can all fit in her speeder," Padmé suggested.

The door at the end of the hallway slid open. Ashlee ignited her lightsaber again.

"Do you think this is wise, Anakin?" the Emperor asked. "How do you know that the Jedi won't kill you and Padmé after you help them kill me?"

He didn't seem surprised that Vader had changed. He must have already heard that someone with Anakin's description was seen with Obi-wan and Mace.

He held his hand out and tried shooting lightning at Padmé, but Ashlee and Mace held their lightsaber blades in front of her and blocked it.

She took out her blaster, which was set on stun, and fired at the Emperor a few times. He raised his hand and blocked all of the bolts as Anakin and Obi-wan moved toward him. Padmé shot at him again. He moved to the side and turned his lightsaber on to block Obi-wan, but Anakin struck at him.

Padmé waited a moment, then set her blaster down. Ashlee took her portable holograph transmitter out of a pocket inside her robe and contacted Yoda.

* * *

Author's note: For those of you who are reading my Untitled story, I realize that I haven't updated it in a while, and I don't think many people were reading it anyway. I'm probably going to do a rewrite of it next.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Later, Padme and Ashlee were at the apartment. Ashlee's husband and a few more Jedi were going to meet them on Tattooine tomorrow.

Anakin, Mace, Obi-wan, and Yoda were on one of the Star Destroyers. Padme looked at the viewscreen in the living room. Most of the news channels reported that the Emperor and Vader were dead and most of the other Imperials had surrendered to the Jedi.

"I just talked to Master Yoda," Ashlee said as she came into the living room. She had been using the holograph transmitter in Padme's bedroom. "He said that everything is going well."

"Alright." Padme turned the viewscreen off. "I should probably go contact my parents now. I have to tell them everything."

"I'll stay here and guard the front door," Ashlee told her. It was possible that the man who had been sent to attack her wouldn't bother her now that he didn't have to work for the Emperor, but Anakin still wanted her to be careful.

"Thank you."

* * *

Padme told her parents the truth about what had happened when she and her friend were arrested on Imperial Center last year, her relationship with her master, and about Vader going back to the Jedi.

"That was why Mace left suddenly when he was staying with you. My master was in my ship when we went to the landing area," she said.

"Why didn't he tell us what happened?" Jobal asked.

"He promised me that he wouldn't," Padme replied. "He knew I didn't want to be involved with the Empire, and he knew Vader was worried about that."

She looked at the entrance of the room as Anakin walked inside. She told her parents that she would come to Naboo after the meeting on Tattooine, then closed the connection.

"Two of the other Jedi are on the Executor now," said Anakin. "I'm going to stay here with you."

She hugged him and rested her head on his chest. "Will you go to my parents' house with me?"

"Yes," he answered. He kissed her mouth. He didn't seem to be upset about going to Tattooine, even though they were having the meeting at Mace's house, which wasn't far from where his stepbrother lived. Yesterday he said that he wanted to talk to Owen.

"I love you," she said. She remembered when she told Vader that she was glad to see him after he found her on Naboo. She had meant it, but she was happy that he had returned to the Jedi. He had quickly allowed Mace and Obi-wan to help him when they came to the apartment the other day.

"I love you, too."

The holograph transmitter beeped. Anakin turned it on and Obi-wan's image appeared.

"The man who attacked Padme is at a Rebel base," he told them. "He said that he is the one who stole her ship. He apologized for what he did and is glad to be free from the Emperor."

Padme felt relieved. "Thank you. We will contact you when we arrive on Tattooine."

After Obi-wan's image faded, Anakin slid his arms around her.

"Will you marry me?" he asked.

She hugged him again. "Yes."

* * *

Mace and Ashlee went with them to Mace's house on Tattooine. Only Ashlee's husband and five or six Jedi were there. The others were with Obi-wan and Yoda at the Imperial base on Coruscant.

Ashlee had told the other Jedi about Padme. Padme recognized most of the ones that she hadn't met, since Vader had given her information on them and sent her to find or spy on them before.

They discussed which Imperial bases they were going to and contacted a few of the Rebel leaders. Then everyone left. Ashlee hugged Padme before she and her husband went to their ship. They would be at the Rebel base on Dantooine. Padme thanked her and asked both of them to come to the wedding, then went to Mace and Anakin.

"After we talk to your parents, I want to come back here and see Owen and Beru," Anakin told her after they spoke to Mace. They were going to the Imperial base on Naboo, to see if most of the former Imperial officers were gone.

"Alright," she said. She wanted to meet them.

They returned to their ship and left.

- The End -


End file.
